Landon Otsen won’t let cerebral palsy stop him from getting to Torquay Coast Primary School

A Geelong boy who can’t walk, talk or eat without assistance isn’t letting that stop him from going to a mainstream school – now his family is raising money for a van to get him there.

A Torquay family is raising money for the purchase of a special van for their wheelchair bound boy, Landon. Picture: Alan Barber.

A Geelong boy who uses a wheelchair to move and a computer to communicate isn’t letting cerebral palsy stop him going to a mainstream school – and his family is raising money for a van to get him there.

Landon Otsen was born in January 2019 at Geelong hospital.

At the time, his parents didn’t know that a lack of oxygen to his brain during the traumatic birth had caused hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy brain damage.

Landon’s mother Lisa Otsen said the diagnosis happened slowly, as her “happy little boy” wasn’t meeting developmental milestones.

At two years old, he received an official cerebral palsy (CP) diagnosis.

Landon lives with quadriplegia cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair full-time.

He is non-verbal but has learnt to communicate via a specialised computer.

“He can use a walker to do independent stepping but he requires full-time assistance with everything – eating, drinking, toileting,” Ms Otsen said.

Ms Otsen is in the process of suing Barwon Health for more than $1m, claiming Landon’s CP was caused by negligence during the birth.

But in the meantime, Ms Otsen said the family was grateful for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding and community support, which is where they’ve turned to raise money for a van for Landon.

“I think that it’s amazing to show the community that all types of children can go through mainstream school,” she said.

“We’re super lucky we’ve got incredible support.”

Ms Otsen said the NDIS funding would also help complete a $45,000 van conversion for the family, but wouldn’t help buy the $75,000 van itself.

Landon Otsen with grandma Lynne and mum Lisa. Picture: Alan Barber.

In November 2024, the family was the recipient of the Rip Curl fundraising event that raised more than $50,000 to go towards a van to drive Landon to and from school.

In an attempt to raise the extra $20,000, Landon’s grandmother Lynne is selling hampers, with all donations going towards the van.

Landon’s speech pathologist Jenna O’Brien said a van would be a complete “game changer” for the family.

Currently, the family has to transfer Landon to a car seat, pack down his wheelchair into the boot and then take it apart again when they go anywhere.

“For him to just be able to get into the car with ease is a game changer,” Ms O’Brien said.

“It would mean freedom – they could just pop down to the shops, or go on a family adventure, just wheeling him into the van.”

She, along with an occupational therapist and physiotherapist, helped choose Torquay Coast Primary School for Landon, assessing the grounds and training teachers “to make sure Landon could fully participate”.

“The school had the right attitude,” she said.

“He went to kindergarten there, and that’s the magic of it, he has ongoing friendship there and he’ll grow up around those supportive friends.”

A Barwon Health spokesman declined to comment as the matter was before court.

Originally published as Landon Otsen won’t let cerebral palsy stop him from getting to Torquay Coast Primary School